All of the latter part of September 2008, I spent in Oklahoma cleaning out my Mom’s storage barn and two sheds situated on our family’s acreage, where Mom had stored extra items from her antique and collectible days before her passing in 2006. The sheds were filled with stemware, four boxes of collectible Avon bottles, silver plate, pottery and all sorts of old toys, vintage linens and other items. The storage barn was filled with my grandmother’s dolls and boxes of old letters from the early 1900′s, old photos, plus antique prints and books.
The sad part about the barn was that it was in disrepair with exposure to the elements over the years and woodland creatures in the area had all but destroyed the contents. However, undaunted by the mess and misfortune, I tackled the project of cleaning it completely out and hosting two “barn sales,” advertising only on craigslist. It was suggested to me by a local dealer of ‘hidden-treasure-aka-junk,’ to call it a “Diggers Delight.”
People came by the car loads with gloves and knee pads to dig through the remains of my family’s history to discover their own hidden treasures. We passed out large garbage sacks and only charged $5 to fill them up! One lady was overheard to exclaim to a friend “You won’t believe what I found!”
And so it went, people began meeting others as they pored over boxes and sacks covering the landscape. It was not uncommon for a camaraderie and teamwork to emerge as they learned the interests and collections of each other.
Many dealers came who either had booths in antique/collectible malls or hosted their own regular garage sales from their homes. Doll collectors returned time and time again over the scheduled sale days – as the dolls were endless.
As cash was handed to me, I knew more cash would soon be handed to them from future customers and no doubt their customers would be selling it even again. It was then I realized the “Hidden-Treasure-Junk-Business” is alive and well and probably the most solid economy going right now! In the process, I got a clean storage barn to store my own vintage and antique treasures to sell!
Have you been involved in the “hidden-treasure-junk-business”? Share your success story with us!
